3 Potential offseason targets to help Knicks improve on the fringe
By Max Hoover
Knicks free agent fringe help: Bruce Brown
Remember how amped Josh Hart got Madison Square Garden at points this season? Imagine the Knicks had another guy like that terrorizing opponents despite his stature. James Dolan would end up having to buy a new roof.
That is exactly the kind of player the Knicks would add in Bruce Brown.
Brown is not a sharpshooter like Joe, but he is steadily improving. He’s only a career 34% three-point shooter, but he’s shot it at 38% over the last two seasons.
Obviously, playing with guys like Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic has helped those figures, but there is enough rim pressure on the Knicks that those numbers should stay consistent in New York.
His grit and tenacity as a defender are what make Brown special. Brown, Hart, and Quickley would lead a tough, albeit small, second unit.
Brown is on the verge of winning a ring with Denver this season, so you might be asking why he would leave that situation. The answer, like most things in the NBA, is money.
Brown has a player option next season worth $6.8 million. Both the mid-level room ($7.6 million) or a considerable chunk of the mid-level nontaxpayer exception ($12.2 million) would be a raise. If Brown does hit the market, the Knicks should be in hot pursuit.
